Character Name: Alcuin no Delaunay Series: Kushiel's Legacy Skill Equivalencies Requested: Cold Reading, Court Etiquette, Cultures and Humanities, Doubletalk/Innuendo, Edged Weapons (Daggers), Eiditic Memory, Formal Dance, High Society Etiquette, Perfect Recall, Prevarication, Research, Riding, Slight of Hand, Theatrical Skills Reasoning: Cold Reading: Phedre often states that Alcuin could more easily tell what was in a person's heart than she could, and how to warm up to them swiftly.
Court Etiquette: He was in and around a royal court and upper echelons of society since he was six, to the point where he was an unremarkable scribe for the first royal ambassadorial visit from another country.
Cultures and Humanities: His studies pointedly included much of Europe and their cultures, laws, religions, languages, histories, mythology.
Doubletalk/Innuendo: He repeatedly shows that he can imply and hint through body language and expression and the occasional line of dialogue that he is interested in someone or flattered by them, attracting them to him in return and implying he might wish them as a patron. (Also: he's a courtesan. That is totally part of his training.)
Edged Weapons (Daggers): He has received a wide variety of training in handling and using daggers as weapons in a range of styles. While none of them are complete regimens, I believe they would stack to a proficiency.
Eidetic Memory: Alcuin repeatedly is known for repeating back a conversation perfectly, word for word, including tone and pitch and emphasis.
Formal Dance: All mid-to-high class D'Angelines in the City attend Longest Night balls, which include a large number of dances, and Alcuin would have been trained to perform exquisitely in this arena, as that is where he would have attracted many of his patrons.
High Society Etiquette: He was of the lower upper class or upper middle class, but routinely participated in functions in the upper levels of society including the royal court. ...He would know how to comport himself.
Perfect Recall: In his lessons as a child and in practice as a spy, Alcuin repeatedly recalls large chunks of information word for word.
Prevarication: He had to often deal with people - particularly one suitor and his master - who wished things of him he did not wish to reveal or to give, and dancing around the subject or outright lying was something he was so good at that the master spy of the household could not tell otherwise.
Research: His master set him a task of great importance looking for and compiling information on a subject.
Riding: There is a protracted section of the book in which Alcuin learns to ride and adores it. He is given a magnificent horse as his "graduation" present from being a Servant.
Slight of Hand: While Alcuin is not shown to demonstrate this skill, his foster sister Phedre is throughout the series, and they received the same education. It is logical that he would have learned it too.
Theatrical Skills: ...If playing a role so well that no one knows it isn't how you feel for most of your life doesn't constitute decent acting skills, I don't know what does.
no subject
Series: Kushiel's Legacy
Skill Equivalencies Requested: Cold Reading, Court Etiquette, Cultures and Humanities, Doubletalk/Innuendo, Edged Weapons (Daggers), Eiditic Memory, Formal Dance, High Society Etiquette, Perfect Recall, Prevarication, Research, Riding, Slight of Hand, Theatrical Skills
Reasoning:
Cold Reading: Phedre often states that Alcuin could more easily tell what was in a person's heart than she could, and how to warm up to them swiftly.
Court Etiquette: He was in and around a royal court and upper echelons of society since he was six, to the point where he was an unremarkable scribe for the first royal ambassadorial visit from another country.
Cultures and Humanities: His studies pointedly included much of Europe and their cultures, laws, religions, languages, histories, mythology.
Doubletalk/Innuendo: He repeatedly shows that he can imply and hint through body language and expression and the occasional line of dialogue that he is interested in someone or flattered by them, attracting them to him in return and implying he might wish them as a patron. (Also: he's a courtesan. That is totally part of his training.)
Edged Weapons (Daggers): He has received a wide variety of training in handling and using daggers as weapons in a range of styles. While none of them are complete regimens, I believe they would stack to a proficiency.
Eidetic Memory: Alcuin repeatedly is known for repeating back a conversation perfectly, word for word, including tone and pitch and emphasis.
Formal Dance: All mid-to-high class D'Angelines in the City attend Longest Night balls, which include a large number of dances, and Alcuin would have been trained to perform exquisitely in this arena, as that is where he would have attracted many of his patrons.
High Society Etiquette: He was of the lower upper class or upper middle class, but routinely participated in functions in the upper levels of society including the royal court. ...He would know how to comport himself.
Perfect Recall: In his lessons as a child and in practice as a spy, Alcuin repeatedly recalls large chunks of information word for word.
Prevarication: He had to often deal with people - particularly one suitor and his master - who wished things of him he did not wish to reveal or to give, and dancing around the subject or outright lying was something he was so good at that the master spy of the household could not tell otherwise.
Research: His master set him a task of great importance looking for and compiling information on a subject.
Riding: There is a protracted section of the book in which Alcuin learns to ride and adores it. He is given a magnificent horse as his "graduation" present from being a Servant.
Slight of Hand: While Alcuin is not shown to demonstrate this skill, his foster sister Phedre is throughout the series, and they received the same education. It is logical that he would have learned it too.
Theatrical Skills: ...If playing a role so well that no one knows it isn't how you feel for most of your life doesn't constitute decent acting skills, I don't know what does.